A Good Catch

Roshan Dalal makes patra ni machchi for her foreign-returned daughter and  foreigner son-in-law. Was the fish she found at Sassoon Dock a good catch or was her daughter’s a better one?

Roshan Dalal smiled. Yesterday was a good day. She had gone early on her scooter to the Sassoon Dock fish market and come back home triumphant with two fresh paplets. Not Halwa, not Rawas, but Paplet—silver pomfret for real patra ni machchi. There they lay on her kitchen counter, cleaned, filleted, and marinated in haldi, mithu, and lime juice.

Her Dolly and John’s flight from San Francisco had been delayed. Poor things! They only reached home at five in the morning. Dolly sat and talked for a while but John fell asleep right away. At first she had been wary of a gora son-in-law but her John was saras majeno. “Mama this, mama that,” always taking care of her when she had visited them in San Francisco. He ate everything she made for him even when his lips were on fire and sweat poured down his face.

The dhana, pudina, marcha, adu-lasan, and jeera were already in her mixie bowl. The grated coconut went in next, followed by the sugar, mithu, vinegar, and lime juice. But those two were still sleeping and Roshan did not want to wake them up with the sound of her mixie. So she started making thin slits on the fish for the chutney when it was ready.

At five o’clock in the evening Roshan decided they had been sleeping long enough. If they did not get up now, they would be awake all night. She started her mixie. In minutes the bright green chutney was ready to be spread all over the marinated fish. Roshan heard someone stirring in the guest bedroom. She began to soften the banana leaves by putting them in the steamer for a minute.

Her Dolly was a good girl even though she was not very fair. John was very good to her. He pampered her, protected her, and, most of all, he loved her. She did not disturb him when he was working. He never once bothered her when she spent hours on her work phone calls. They were so happy together. Her Dolly had done well. He was a good catch.